Aaron Schock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 18th district | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – March 31, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ray LaHood |
| Succeeded by | Darin LaHood |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 92nd district | |
| In office January 12, 2005 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Ricca Slone |
| Succeeded by | Joan Krupa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Aaron Jon Schock May 28, 1981 Morris, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Illinois Central College Bradley University (BS) |
Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981)[1] is a former American politician who was Republican U.S. Representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district from 2009 until 2015. The district is based in Peoria and includes part of Springfield. He was the first member of the U.S. Congress born in the 1980s as well as the first millennial member of Congress; when he took his seat in 2009 he was the youngest member of Congress, at age 27.[2] Previously, Schock had served two terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, also as its youngest member.
Schock resigned from Congress in March 2015 amid a scandal involving his use of public and campaign funds. A subsequent Congressional ethics investigation revealed that he used taxpayer money to fund "lavish" trips and events.[3] In November 2016, a federal grand jury indicted him in connection with the scandal. After he pled not guilty, prosecutors reached a deferred prosecution agreement with him in March 2019 whereby all charges were dropped in return for a period of good behavior and payment of $100,000 in restitution.[4] As part of the deal, Schock's campaign committee, Schock for Congress, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of failing to properly report expenses.[4]
Despite having a voting record of consistently opposing LGBTQ rights,[5] Schock came out as gay in March 2020 and expressed regret for some of his previous policy decisions.[6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
congbiowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Congressman Aaron Schock". Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
- ^ Theodore Schleifer and Pamela Brown, Ex-congressman Aaron Schock indicted in spending scandal, CNN (November 10, 2016).
- ^ a b Meisner, Jason (March 6, 2019). "Prosecutors in Chicago to drop charges against former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock if he pays back IRS, campaign". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 6, 2019 – via chicagotribune.com.
- ^ Zaveri, Mihir (March 6, 2020). "Aaron Schock, Former Illinois Congressman, Comes Out as Gay". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ Wong, Curtis (March 5, 2020). "Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock Comes Out As Gay". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2020.